The transfers for the second edition of the professional football league will be held throughout January next year instead of a two-month period allotted for the inaugural version.

The BFF also decided to participate in the Merdeka football tournament in Malaysia in August. The federation, which named a squad for next month's Nehru Cup in India under new coach Syed Nayeemuddin, will soon call a different squad.

It was learned that the BFF will send the senior team to the more competitive meet after evaluating standards of the two tournaments. Bangladesh will also take part in Assam's Borduloi Trophy.

There was frustrating news for the domestic scene, however, as the BFF decided to shelve the Federation Cup and the National Football League for fund crisis and the so-called international commitment of the national teams this season.

It might cost one of the two places for Bangladeshi clubs in the AFC Cup but a federation source said that it would apply for entries of the top two teams of the ongoing B. League to the prestigious continental event.

The Senior Division Football League or the good old Dhaka League, however, will begin on August 20 after the August 7-10 transfers.

The National Football Championship is likely to begin in November.